The Invitation
by TricksAndTreats 3 Contest
Summary: GoPro? Check. Voice recorder? Check. Investigating a haunted mansion? Death defying. Bella gets an invitation to investigate the Platt Mansion and comes face to face with more than just a ghost. Standard Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.


Title of Story: The Invitation

Rating:M

Pairing:Bella and Alice

Genre: Suspense

Word Count:3674

Story Summary: GoPro? Check. Voice recorder? Check. Investigating a haunted mansion? Death defying. Bella gets an invitation to investigate the Platt Mansion and comes face to face with more than just a ghost.

Standard Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.

When the doorbell rang on Halloween morning, Bella assumed there must be a few ambitious kids looking to score candy early. When she opened the front door with a smile and kind reprimands on her tongue, she was surprised when there was no one waiting for her. She glanced around thinking maybe someone was trying to prank her until she noticed the tiny pumpkin sitting on her porch railing with a note tied to the stem. Bella picked it up, headed back inside and peered at the note.

 _Platt Estate_

 _Route 10_

 _11 PM_

Bella turned the card over to find nothing written on the back and read over it again. She knew exactly what was happening. A local paranormal group would send invitations to people to join their investigations anonymously. Bella had been trying to get an invitation for years, and here she was, finally holding one. She immediately headed to her bedroom and pulled a box from under her bed.

It was no secret that Bella had a taste for the paranormal. It made her a bit of an outcast in her small town, but she loved the idea of ghosts and spirits; having unfinished business and helping a specter move on. She had slowly collected equipment over the last few years and had done a few "solo investigations", but to be invited to join an established group, Bella was beyond excited.

With her three GoPro cameras charging and all her other equipment laid out ready to pack away in her backpack, Bella sat at her desk reading up on The Platt Mansion. A Queen Anne style mansion built in 1885 and sitting on four and half acres, the mansion itself was an architectural oddity. It was often referred to as the Winchester Mansion of the Pacific Northwest. It had doors that opened to nothing, stairs that led to nowhere, and perhaps the weirdest thing was the stained-glass windows that depicted the owner's visit to hell.

The story is that Esme Platt, a widow, thought of herself as a spiritualist and would hold seances for her friends. She claimed to be able to communicate with the spirits and they often gave her advice about how to alter her home, whether her friends were safe to travel, or to send messages from the living into the beyond. Esme commissioned a glass artist to create several panes of stained glass that depicted a journey to hell that she claimed to have gone on.

Bella had never seen the glass in person, but the photos were unsettling. They showed a woman crawling through piles of bones, swimming through rivers of blood, and performing sexual acts with the devil himself. Bella sat back and shuddered slightly, she knew the legend. Esme Platt was pregnant when she commissioned the glass … and she never named a father.

"I'm spooking myself." Bella muttered as she rose and started pacing. She could admit right now that she was scared and that made her anxious for the evening ahead. "I can do this. I want to do this."

Later that night, after a nap and leaving a huge bowl of candy on her front porch, Bella headed out with her backpack filled with her equipment, dozens of spare batteries, flashlights, and her cell phone. The drive to the mansion took about forty-five minutes and she listened to funky upbeat pop music to clear her head. She pulled up to the wrought iron gates and was pleasantly surprised to find them open, like an invitation to come in from the house itself.

She drove through and was immediately disheartened to find no other cars present. She glanced at the clock on her dash and saw that she was ten minutes early; taking a deep breath she parked, grabbed a flashlight from her bag and got out of her car. Sweeping the beam of light around her she starts to hear a noise coming from somewhere on the property. She considered that her imagination was already playing with her, that any sound she heard would be mistaken for something else, but as she continued to listen it sounded more and more like someone calling for help.

Unsure of when anyone else was going to show up, Bella made the decision to grab her bag, set up and turn on her cameras, and venture inside. She wore a headband with one camera, one attached to her right shoulder strap and facing forward, and one on the left facing behind her, she grabbed a digital voice recorder and started up the front porch steps.

"My name is Bella Swan. The date is October thirty first-Halloween night. It's approximately ten pm. I'm currently entering the Platt Mansion. I received an invitation from what I believe is a local paranormal investigation group to join them for an investigation. When I arrived, there was no one here that I could see." She sighed deeply hovering before the threshold. "If something should happen to me and someone find this recording, tell my father, Charlie Swan that I love him and that I'm obviously more scared than I should be, because I'm leaving my final words. Jesus, Bella." She shook her head and tried the front door and found it unlocked and it opened with a loud screech

The wood was probably warped and through the light from her flashlight, Bella could see plenty of leaves, and twigs, and debris scattered across the floor. She could hear a whistling sound and felt a soft breeze. Glancing up she saw that there appeared to be a hole that looked like it went straight through from the attic all the way down. She tore her eyes away when she heard footsteps from behind her. She felt frozen and stiff and couldn't make herself turn around.

"Bella? Bella Swan?" A voice asked from behind her and Bella let out a small breath. She turned around slowly and saw a rather large man standing a few feet from her.

"Yes, I'm Bella. Who are you?" She asked, shining her light towards him and trying desperately to sound casual and calm her heart.

The man was well over six-foot-tall with very dark hair and dark eyes. He was broad, but his skin looked pale and his cheeks were sunken.

"I'm Felix." He offered with a small grin, "I'm happy to see you received my invitation." He stepped forward and Bella instinctively took a step back.

Something about him was … off. Bella tried to shake the feeling away when she suddenly saw him lunge towards her and hit her square across the face and then everything went black.

Her head was swimming and she felt cold. When Bella opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a stone floor and with her hands bound in front of her. The tears bubbled up and she wanted to scream, but all the self-defense training she had received over the years told her to take a deep breath and take in her surroundings.

The room was empty and dirty, with a lone light bulb hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room. She was sitting against a wall and facing what appeared to be the only door in the room. She was alone, and she was terrified.

"Are you all right?" A voice asked quietly, and Bella jumped. She was alone in the room and even with the measly light, she could see that there weren't any windows or what could be speakers in the room.

"You can't see me, can you?" The voice asked, and Bella noticed that it was feminine and light, almost like a summer breeze.

"He must have hit me really hard." Bella muttered as she shook her head trying to clear the cobwebs.

"He did hit you hard, but I promise you're not imagining things." The voice laughed lightly, "My name is Alice. That guy, Felix? He brought me here four years ago."

"If I can hear you, but I can't see you...are you trying to tell me that you're a ghost or something?" Bella asked with a jittery voice. She believed, she really did; but was she really face to face, well voice to voice with a ghost right now?

"Yes, oh my gosh. I'm so happy you get it." The voice let another light laugh and sigh. "There's been others who didn't believe and didn't listen to me. I just want to help you. I think, I hope that I can get you out of here alive."

Bella sat there breathing heavily and trying to process her thoughts. Someone was trying to hurt her … probably kill her. Ghosts were real and there was one in the room with her; and it wanted to help her survive. She disregarded all her other thoughts and focused on just one; she did not want to die.

"My name's Bella. Please help me." Bella crossed her fingers as best she could and hoped that she wasn't somehow being tricked.

"I'm Alice, or I was Alice. Whatever … look, I'll do my very best and I know it'll be hard, but you'll need to trust me." Bella nodded and then wondered if Alice could see her.

"What do I do?" She could hear footsteps distantly and began to shake.

"Can you stand?" Alice asked with a hint of panic in her voice. Bella clumsily got to her feet and wobbled slightly. "I bet you're dizzy, but listen. There's a small crack in the wall about three feet to your left. Push on it and you'll find a secret passage. You need to get in there quick; he's on his way." Alice sounded like she was going to lose it if Bella didn't move.

She stumbled to her left, feeling along the wall until she found the crack and Alice told her to push into the wall. When she did the small door sprang back at her and she slipped in quickly and pulled the door shut behind her.

"Shhhh. Be quiet and move forward." Alice was whispering as Bella began moving. "We need to find something to release your hands." Bella kept moving and realized that she had no idea what the plan was. It was pitch black in the tunnel and she couldn't tell how far she'd walked when she stopped.

"What am I supposed to do?" She all but cried on a wavering whisper. All the fear, anger and despair were finally creeping up. Her adrenaline was waning, and she slumped against the side of the tunnel. Bella felt the tears well up and spill over silently.

"Bella, listen to me." Alice instructed. "We're going to get your hands free and then we're going to try and find your stuff or at least your keys and get you out of here." Bella felt a breeze wrap around her and felt comfort in it. "I know you're scared, but I don't want you to end up like me. Please, let me help you." Bella nodded and began walking again. She felt the ground start to incline and she soon found herself in front of a wall. Alice had left her to check on Felix and to see where he was.

While she was catching breath, she heard a murderous roar ring through the house. It was so loud it almost felt like the walls around her trembled. The fear set in deeper and the anxiety she had felt earlier in the day had come back tenfold.

"Bella … he knows you got out of the basement. He's going floor by floor to find you. I'm going to try and make some noise on the third floor to lure him up there. You're right by the kitchen; you should be able to find something to cut the duct tape on your wrists."

"Alice!" Bella breathed loudly. "Thank you."

"Just wait and you'll know when to move." Alice said and then her presence was gone. She had no idea what she meant at first, but soon after Bella heard footsteps moving away from her and she count to fifty before she found the latch on the door and opened it carefully and as noiselessly as possible.

The kitchen was illuminated by moonlight, but Bella still struggled to see around her. She opened drawers and cabinets as silently as she could, but could not find anything sharp to free her hands. Bella could hear the footsteps moving around upstairs and she figured that while she didn't have much time, there was the attic and six rooms on the third floor.

Alice hadn't come back to her, but she knew that had to trust her and take her advice to get out alive. She glanced towards one of the cabinets where she had found one lone dinner plate. She grabbed the plate and made her way back into the tunnel and in the dark managed to break the plate into pieces. Bella grabbed what felt like the largest piece with a sharp point and moved back into the kitchen. She needed the moonlight to see what she was doing. If she managed to cut herself, she'd be useless.

She was trying to hack into the duct tape, but was missing the mark by miles. She glanced around the room frantically looking for anything to help her. Then decided quickly to wedge the broken piece into the top of a drawer and try to make it work that way. As she started to saw and found that it was working, albeit slightly, Bella realized that she no longer heard footsteps above her.

"Hurry!" She heard Alice's voice ring in her ears and began to saw at her wrists and the broken plate furiously. She could hear footsteps descending the stairs. She got a small rip in the tape when the footsteps stopped.

"You can't hide in here." Felix's voice was menacing, and she felt a ripple of fear shoot down her spine. Bella heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked. She abandoned the plate and crept back to the tunnel when she felt pushed towards a different doorway. She found herself in what must have been a dining room. There were remnants of chairs and a table in the room and Bella saw an open window. She began tearing at the duct tape with her teeth; she'd need both hands to hoist herself out of the window.

As soon as the tape was loose enough to get one hand free and regain the ability to use them both, Alice spoke again.

"If we can lure him outside you can lose him. He's big, but he's not fast." Bella hoisted herself out the window and dropped to the porch. The wood planks beneath her feet gave a loud creak and she froze. "Run, Bella!"

She took off at a dead run and found herself in the rear of the house. She could barely make out the man-made pond at the back of the property; the moonlight reflecting on the surface. Bella ran to it and as she got closer she saw a small shed. She could hide there, although Felix would probably look there first. She reached the shed and flung herself inside.

Shelves lined the walls with rusted tools, buckets, and what looked to be a few broken decorative gnomes. Gasping for breath and vowing to take up running if she got out alive, Bella's eyes landed on her backpack.

"This is where he destroys everything. The pond is deeper than it looks … there's five cars in it." Alice's voice was quiet, and she took a deep breath, "He digs graves around it. I'm buried out there." Bella's heart broke for her.

"I'm sorry, Alice." Bella breathed and reached for her bag. Her phone, she just needed her phone and she could get out of there. She'd call 911 and she'd find her car keys and get the hell out of there.

Bella found her phone, but the battery was almost dead. She tried to initiate the emergency call feature, but the battery died in her hands. She dug around in her bag again, looking for the backup battery and cursing herself for not getting a newer phone; this one needed at least 20 percent battery to turn back on. The backup battery was light though, she could tuck it, along with her phone into her pocket.

"He has the keys in his pocket, Bella." Alice sounded tearful, as if this was the last straw, the final sign that Bella wouldn't survive. "He's here," she whispered, and Bella looked around to arm herself. Even if he had a gun, Bella could try. She would do anything possible to make it.

She spotted a crowbar propped up in the corner and gripped it tightly in her hands. She slid behind the door to the shed and waited, holding her breath. The door swung open slowly and Bella gulped in air and sprang out from behind the door and swung the crowbar straight at Felix's head. He crumpled to the ground silently and when he didn't move, she dropped down to find her keys or his; at this point it didn't matter. His coat pocket was easily reached, and she found a bundle of keys. As soon as her fingers gripped them, his hand shot up and grasped her around the neck. He was crushing her, and Bella couldn't catch her breath. She knew that the more she struggled, the sooner she'd run out of breath, so she focused all her energy into sending a single, swift kick straight to his balls.

Felix doubled over, and Bella didn't even attempt to catch her breath, she only ran right out of the shed. She was disoriented and ended up running straight into the pond; not thinking of her phone in her pocket or the fact that Felix could simply drown her. He feet were getting caught in weeds and she struggled, trying to stay above the surface of the water when she heard splashing.

"You'll die now, you bitch." Felix was screaming and thrashing in the water. Bella froze with fear. She could see him as he moved towards her, but nothing could make her move.

"Alice, help me. Please!" Bella cried out and suddenly the entire area was illuminated in an almost blinding white light. She could feel the water churning around her and Bella saw hands begin to break through the surface of the water, followed by arms and heads until what looked like five bodies in varying stages of decay begin to move towards Felix.

The bodies were clawing at him and began dragging him under while his screams echoed in the night. Bella watched, terrified, as he was dragged under and when the bubbles disappeared, and the water was still Bella pulled herself out of the pond and onto the shore, sobbing and shaking.

"Bella." Alice's voice rang out again and Bella opened her eyes. Before her stood a diminutive girl with alabaster skin and short black hair. She crouched down in front of Bella and smiled. "We did it. You have the keys, go get help. They'll probably think you're crazy, but you're innocent, Bella; a victim like us. If you can, tell my family." She swept her hand out and gestured to the pond.

"Thank you, Alice." Bella said as the light began to fade, and Alice disappeared.

Bella was wrapped in a blanket and gripping a cup of hot tea in the police station. She had driven straight there and asked to give her statement. She had cried the entire way back into town and found herself quite stable when she began to talk about her evening. Alice had given her strength and she wasn't going to waste it.

The officer she had talked to was skeptical, of course, but took every detail down and then called Charlie Swan to take Bella to the hospital and then hopefully home. As she was waiting for her Dad to show up, she looked up to a bulletin board. There were at least half a dozen missing persons posters hanging up. She stood up and moved closer; one poster was sticking out. A girl with pale skin and black hair smiled up at her from the paper. Bella reached out and touched the poster with her fingertips.

"Ma'am? Are you all right?" A voice asked from behind her. Bella dropped her arm and turned around. Her eyes met vivid, verdant ones. A kind, but curious smile was on the young man's face and she saw his name tag said E. Cullen.

"Officer Cullen?" he nodded, and she gulped. "I know where this woman is. She's dead, unfortunately. She's buried out at the Platt Mansion." Bella shuddered and began to cry softly. "It sounds crazy, I know … but, she helped me tonight." Bella heard her father's voice call out to her.

"I understand you had a terrifying evening and gave your statement." Officer Cullen stared at her with a remorseful expression on his face. "It sounds like your father is here." He gestured for Bella to walk with him.

He spoke quietly, "Alice went missing four years ago. We always suspected she ended up out there, but we never found any evidence." Bella looked at him questioningly. "She loved life and made friends everywhere she went. I'm not surprised that you say she helped you."

They walked to the lobby and Bella's father ran forward and gathered her up in a hug and immediately began looking her over. "Let's get you to the ER." Charlie said as he led Bella to the door when she stopped in her tracks and turned around.

"How do you know all that about Alice?" Bella asked Officer Cullen. He stared at her for a full minute before he swallowed.

"She was my sister." He said with watery eyes.

Bella nodded at him and let her father lead her from the station.


End file.
